Santa Barbara: an outsider's take
As a newcomer to Santa Barbara, I have observed many of the characteristics that make it stand out as a very unique city. I would like to take this opportunity to make some comparison commentary, and some general observations. This will all be presented in a very scatterbrained fashion.
It seems to me that Santa Barbara fits into the framework of Southern California, in much the same way that Monterey has its niche in Northern California. Both seem to be on the fringes when one is categorizing their locale. Santa Barbarians…Santa Barbinites…or whatever we call ourselves, are more than happy to consider S.B. as not belonging to Southern California, but certainly can’t claim to live anywhere near the north. It’s as if Santa Barbara exists on it’s own wavelength. The super-rich are all around us, tucked away and in your face, but there are many homeless folks who seem just as happy. There is an extreme sense of small towniness in the air of S.B. but anything one desires can be found somewhere here. Imagine what S.B. would be like if there were no college students being pumped into the mainstream. On the subject of the college scene here, many more people are transplanted to this paradise than can actually claim birthright. Having no previous ties to S.B., it is a very exciting and somewhat awkward position to be in having just moved here. It seems that everyone I now know, has their group of friends either from college, or from being in this community for a long time. I haven’t met many people who move here to work, or for the novelty, it’s not like Santa Cruz in that way, though it is like Santa Cruz in many ways. I hear the trust fund market is pretty strong here, not unlike Santa Cruz. Most importantly the scenic views that can be captured here are seemingly one-of-a-kind. There, I said it. The Log Dogg’s Blog presented from the kid who had become used to smog.
Awesome Uhaul Customer Relations!
Uhaul, Usuck! Seriously, Dave Cygielman and I found out the other day what a horrendously terrible company Uhaul is (at least the one located at 4417 Hollister in Santa Barbara - never go there). Dave and I rented a 14 foot Uhaul truck in order to go pick up some things from a house in Hope Ranch. Some people Dave knew were moving to Michigan and they had offered us some furniture which we arrived in the Uhaul to collect. So after loading a few pieces into the truck, we try starting the thing, and guess what? It won't start. Understandably confused by the problem, we call the hotline number posted in the truck and after being transferred at least four different times (where a different operator asks the same question every time), they walk us through several different experiments to start the truck, non of which work. They then tell us they'll call back. After waiting half an hour, we finally get the call from Uhaul Central that a mechanic is on his way out to see us.
Great! W'ell be on our way in no time! Then we get the call from the mechanic - he's on his way from Lompoc and will be there in a little over an hour. So after an extended nap in the van (p.s. Dave snores), the mechanic gets there, does his thing, and tells us the starter needs to be replaced. Finally he switches out the starter, and after a mere four hours of wasted time, we're on our way! Oh yeah, I should also mention that by this time it's so late in the day that we can't complete the move. So here's the positive/negative tally for the day:
Negatives - nonworking truck, poor Uhaul phone-assistance system, extremely slow response time, four lost work hours for Dave and I, incomplete move.
Positives - None.
But it's all well and good. I mean, our truck didn't work and we weren't able to accomplish what we rented the truck for in the first place. We won't be charged. Wrong! Not only is the staff at Uhaul extremely rude dealing with us, but they still charge us full price for the rental, just short of $50!
Here's a hypothetical situation to put what happened to us into perspective. You rent a boat to take you and some friends out on a fishing trip in the ocean. About a half hour out into sea, the boat breaks down. After calling for help, you're stranded out at sea for half the day. Finally, after several hours, the tugboat arrives to pull you in. By the time you get back to the docks, it's late in the afternoon and the rentals for the day are due back. So they didn't give you a boat that works, you didn't get to fish like you were supposed to, and your entire day was wasted. Should you then be responsible to cover the cost of the boat rental? The answer would be obvious to most people, but I guess if you're Uhaul, the answer is yes.
Baseball
I love baseball. Just thought I'd throw that out there. I live and breath it, particularly Angels baseball. I'll be honest with you - when the Angels won the World Series two years ago, it was definitely one of the top three happiest and most significant moments in my life. It's weird when you hope for something so passionately and for so long, and after so many setbacks and defeats and "wait-till-next-years," that when you finally get that something you feel. . .you feel what? Elated? Relieved? Vindicated? Empowered? I guess you would call the feeling a combination of all those emotions, but it's something more, too. You feel like the whole world shrinks all around you, just for a second. That from where you sit you can see it all, from Antartica to Australia to Egypt and everwhere in between, and everything you have ever wanted is known to you there for that split second. And then everything explodes and shatters into so many millions of tiny pieces that it should break your heart, except all you feel is an overwhelming sense of contentment because you know what all those tiny pieces are, you know what it all represents and why you hoped for so long while the odds were against you. Sure, this all sounds pretty lofty when we're talking about baseball, but if you still think I'm talking about baseball then you've missed the point.
It's Tuesday and it's Raining
It's Tuesday, foundation meeting day! Like last week, it looks like tonight will be cold and wet, which got me thinking: Isla Vista might be one of the most miserable places to be when it rains. I mean, it's not exactly as if Isla Vista is Club Med on a regular day (maybe Hedonism II, though), but when it rains, the town becomes downright ugly. Where else will you see people who have to ride their bikes while being blinded by sheets of rain, getting soaked to the bone and mud splattering all over their backs, for the sole purpose of attending some winding, long-winded lecture where the professor will spend half the time complaining how he can't believe the poor attendence in class today, how apathetic the students are, how he ought to etc. But you can always drive your car, right? Right, you can pay eight dollars you managed to piece together from under your couch, behind the toilet, and in your roommates pockets (our little secret) for a parking pass that will allow you to circle hopelessly around a parking lot with about one thousand too few spots, only to find a spot after about half-an-hour of circling and with ten minutes left of your class. Not to mention that driving around Isla Vista on a regular night is already like navigating through the batcave with blinders on, it gets even worse with the rain. You might think that walking would do the trick, but after you see about a dozen poor souls with their compact Linens-N-Things umbrellas flipped inside out trudging through the "shallow" points of the innumerable lagoons that have formed in the streets, you think twice. So why do people even bother to leave home on days like this in I.V.? Because staying at home can be even worse. The paper thin walls of the homes don't do much for insulation, and you have to be constantly aware that the roof of your abode can open up at any moment. When I was a sophomore living in I.V., we had a house that got so cold (and of course the heater never worked, although we asked to have it fixed about 75 different times) we had to leave the oven open and stove on for hours just to stave off frostbite. What's more, the back room of the house was actually set
lower than the outside porch, meaning that every time the rain came the back room would flood. If it sounds like I've exaggerated at all, it's probably because I have, but take it from me - Isla Vista is not a pleasent experience during the rainy season. Anyway, see you at meeting!
Self-confidence
After our training session with Dr. Jim Peal last night on self-confidence, I couldn't help but wonder about how much self-confidence I actually have. I mean REALLY have. There are things I like about myself, as well as things I like to think about myself, but how much do these things actually relate to my self-confidence? And how much of what I think about myself is actually true? I found myself thinking all day about what aspects of my life are in the "drama triangle" and what aspects are in the "leadership triangle." As I was thinking, it occurred to me that the most difficult part of this self analysis wasn't identifying what triangle I was living within, but rather how honest I was being with myself. I realized that it's one thing to be aware of the steps to take to empower yourself, but it's something entirely different to be completely honest with yourself about how much self-confidence you really have.
JEWLS Office Party
It was great to see everyone having a wild time at 6757 Del Playa last night for the JEWLS sponsored office party. There were some absolutely ridiculous costumes (including myself, I guess, as one girl noted halfway through the night, "Psh! It's not a '70's office party." Ok, so where did this leave me? Was I supposed to feel embarassed or ashamed or something? She confused me.), some of which left little to the imagination. "Jungle juice" and wine were provided by the girls, getting everyone slippery enough for the dance floor. Dave Cygielman was an absolute force as the doorman, ruthless to anyone without an invitation. The night ended on somewhat of a down note as the girls were given a noise violation by the police, but by that time the party had pretty much emptied out already, leaving everyone with some great memories.
Forest Foundation
Welcome to the Forest Foundation blog
